10 minute chocolate cake...literally!

You'll need a "Rice Cooker Plus" with Pampered Chef to make this cake.

All you need to do is make one box of chocolate cake, and then add about 6 spoonfuls of frosting on top of the cake mix, put it in the microwave for 10 minutes, and it's done! It doesn't look beautiful, but it tastes amazing.

Brown Bag Apple Pie

Brown Bag Apple Pie
Crust: 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 cup oil, 2 T. cold milk. Combine and mix until blended. Pat into the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate.
Filling:
4 cups slices apples, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 T. flour, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp.
Cinnamon. Combine dry ingredients and loss them lightly with the apples, Pour into the unbaked pie shell. Add topping (below).

Topping: 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup butter, room temperature, 1/2 cup sugar. Combine and mix with fingers until crumbly. Put the pie in a large brown paper grocery bag. Fold to seal, staple shut. Bake @ 350& for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove from oven and let cool in the bag.

Carmel Brownies

So, this is at the request of my great friend, Toni. These are addicting!
Ingredients:
50 Carmels (one package of Kraft is about 50)
1 can of evaporated milk (you'll need 1/2 cup and 1/3 cup)
3/4 cup melted butter/margarine
1 chocolate cake mix (german, dark, milk, etc.) NOT a brownie mix!
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350.
Unwrap carmels and put in saucepan. Add to that 1/2 cup of the evaporated milk. Melt this over the stovetop. (Stir often!) Meanwhile, make the brownies by mixing the cake mix, melted butter, and 1/3 cup of the evaporated milk. Take half of this dough (maybe a bit more) and press it into the bottom of a 9x13" pan. Bake 6 min. at 350 degrees. After 6 min., take it out, and sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the hot batter. Then, drizzle the melted carmel over the top of that. Crumble the rest of the brownie dough over the top. Put back in oven to bake for 15-18 min. Let cool completely before cutting! Put in refrigerater when cool enough to set the carmel. ENJOY! These really are yummy, and can be pretty messy too!

Snickerdoodles

I have been on a quest to find a recipe that makes soft and chewy snickerdoodles. I think I have found “the recipe”. The key to this recipe (and any, really) is that you do not add too much flour and that you do not over bake them. Flour makes cookies more dry and hard as does over baking.

To correctly measure flour, use a spoon to lightly scoop flour out of its container into a measuring cup. Continue until the cup is overflowing. Then use the back side of a knife to level off the flour even with the top edge of the measuring cup. That way you don’t pack too much flour into the measuring cup.

Ingredients:

1 c. vegetable shortening

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 c. flour

1 t. soda

1/4 t. salt

Cream shortening, sugar and eggs together in a bowl. In separate bowl, add dry ingredients together and then mix well into the sugar/shortening mixture. Form dough into balls (about the size of a large walnut) and roll in a mixture of 1 T. sugar and 2 t. cinnamon. Flatten them a little. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Do not over bake. They don’t look “done” but they will after sitting for a few minutes. Yummy!

Cheesy Chicken Skillet Dinner

Ingredients
1 tsp oil
1 1/4 lb chicken cut up into pieces
2 cups carrots (sliced)1 medium zucchini (sliced)
2 TBSP soy sauce
8 med green onions (sliced, 1/2 cup)
2 cups cheddar cheese

Directions
Heat 12 inch skillet over med-high heat. Add oil and chicken- stir fry 4-5 minutes or until no longer pink in center. Remove from skillet.

Add carrots & zucchini to skillet, stir fry 4-5 minutes or until crisp tender. Add chicken & soy sauce; toss until chicken & veggies are coated with soy sauce.

Sprinkle with onions & cheese. Cover skillet until cheese is melted.

Help!

Although I adore my husband, he's the pickiest eater I've ever met. I need help with new recipes that still have flavor (I love everything!). He doesn't like onions, peppers, tomatoes, or vegetables of any kind for that matter(peas, squash, zucchini, you name it..).

Oh, and lately he's doing away with garlic(so his breath isn't terrible).

What in the world is a woman supposed to cook? I'm getting bored with our menu, so I'd appreciate any input!

Thanks!

Valentine Red Cake

½ cup shortening

(2) 1 oz. bottles red food coloring

1 tsp. salt

2 ½ cups cake flour

1 ¼ cups sugar

3 tsp. cocoa

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. vinegar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup 2 T. buttermilk

Cream sugar, shortening and add eggs. Make a paste of food coloring and cocoa and add to the mixture. Add vanilla to buttermilk. Sift salt and flour together. Add all to mixture a little at a time. Dissolve soda in vinegar and fold in last. Bake at 375* for 35 minutes.

Icing

Cream: 1 cup butter and 1 cup sugar until fluffy and almost white. Add 1 tsp. vanilla. Blend in the following mixture slowly with a beater: 1 cup milk and 3 T. flour. Cook until very thick like a paste on low heat. Cool and put on cake.

Martha Stewart's Macaroni & Cheese

Martha has really outdone herself with this recipe. I was too busy eating to take a picture of the finished product, so here is a photo I found online. I put in my own 2 cents in bold. Enjoy!

You can easily divide this recipe in half: Use a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish.
Ingredients

* 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
* 6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
* 5 1/2 cups milk
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
* 4 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 18 ounces)
* 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces) or 1 1/4 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 5 ounces) – (We’ve only used Pecorino Romano – though I love Gruyere. You'll find it in the gourmet cheese section.)
* 1 pound elbow macaroni (we’ve used the really big macaroni & the bigger seashell shapes. Pick whatever shape you want - be sure it's something that will trap the sauce)

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish (9x13); set aside. Place bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter (I just microwave the butter to melt it. Let’s save some time, people!). Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set breadcrumbs aside.
2. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute.
3. While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
4. Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup Pecorino Romano; set cheese sauce aside.
5. Fill a large saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce
6. Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and breadcrumbs over top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes; serve hot.